Well, so far I have been out trying to outwit a few of these prairie goats here in Colorado around Delta for the last 4 and a half days. The first day right at daylight we spotted one but he took off faster than a jet aircraft. A little while later we spotted a group of 5 antelope about a mile away. We drove up the road until we were into the hills where we could begin a stalk and headed out. Once my partner and myself reached the area that they were feeding in they were gone. We headed up the hill that they were on and in the direction that they were feeding but we couldn't find them. So it was back to the 4 wheelers to regroup and figure something else out. We checked out a few other places and then decided to find some shade and do some glassing. About a half hour later I spotted the small group again and found out where they had gone as we were putting on the stalk. We watched them head over to the hill that they were feeding on and then up and over it to a cedar draw and out of sight. It was about a mile and half but I decided to take a hike and see if I could find them. By the time I got there they were gone. We started to glass some more and spotted them about a mile away to the west and moving. So much for the first day.

The second day found us doing the same thing in the same places. We didn't spot anything so we decided to head to a water pond and check it out for tracks. We didn't see any so we decided to head down the road stopping every now and then to glass. We came around a bend and were about a half mile off of HWY 50 so we stopped and glassed the opposite side of the highway. Right away I spotted a group of 10. There was a nice buck and a smaller buck with 8 does. We watched them for a while along with a couple of coyotes trying to figure out how we were going to get to them. We figured that we need to go back to the truck and head over to the other side of the highway so I started up my wheeler and headed toward the highway. Just as I did the antelope got up out of there beds and looked right at me. Now the funny part is that they were 100 yards off of a major highway with a car or truck going by every minute or so and not paying any attention but as soon as I fired up the wheeler they took notice. I headed back to my partner and we decided to go back the way that we came before we crossed the highway. Once on the other side and above the antelope we got out and started the hike toward them. We got to an area that we figured they were at but they had moved and were looking right at us, so we backtracked out of their sight. A half mile later we were glassing the area were they were at without seeing a thing and then I spotted them another mile away. Did I mention that these animals were extremely skittish. By this time it was dark so back to camp we went.

Monday I was by myself so I headed over to a new area. The trouble was that all day long I didn't see a thing except for a couple of mule deer does. Nightfall found me back at camp in a rainstorm.

Tuesday I was going to hunt the area where we had seen the 10 head on Sunday. I had been glassing for about a hour when I spotted a couple of antelope and decided to head toward them. I was in a small draw and needed to get out of it so I took off my orange hat and started up the hill very slow glassing as I went. Then I saw him. It was the bigger buck out of the herd and he was feeding about 400 yards away and he didn't know that I was there. I looked and looked but there was no way to get any closer to him without him seeing me. So I decided that it was time to see just what my 120 grain reloads could do out of my 7mm mag. I crawled up to a location where I could get a good prone rest and settled the cross hairs where I thought they should be. I calmed my nerves and put my finger on the trigger. At the sound of the rifle going off all the rest of the herd stood up and headed out. I stood up and took a look. My goat was laying right where he had been feeding. After I patted myself on the back and collected my pack off I went to him. I had to drop into a small draw and when I came out I looked but couldn't see him. I got to where he had been at and there was no animal and no blood. I looked around but couldn't find a thing. I went back to where I had shot from and looked but couldn't see him. I left my hat on a bush there and went back to where I thought that he should of been. He still wasn't there. I then left my orange vest there and went back to where I had shot from. I looked and I was in the right spot. I went back and looked for him for the next 3 hours checking out tracks and looking for blood but I couldn't find any blood where the tracks were. All I could figure was that I had just nicked him and knocked him out for a few minutes. About this time the rains came so I headed back to a wet camp.

So today Wednesday I have spent it getting my gear and truck off of the hill and to a motel where I could dry out a little. It has been raining all day so I would of had a fun time if I would of stayed where I was camped at. But all is not lost, I still have two more days and once my rain gear is dried out I'll be back out there in the morning looking for that 80 inch buck.

The first group that we got into was the ones that I spotted while I was scouting but the others are in a different area. I'll be going back into the area where I was at on Saturday hoping that they will still be in the same general area. I just checked the DOW's web site and they claim that there are only 60 antelope in the 3 units that I am allowed to hunt and so far I have spotted about 20 of them. Also one of the units that I am allowed to hunt is the one that you are planning on elk and deer hunting next year. One area of this unit is nice in that I can get way up high with a spotting scope and look for miles off of the 25 Mesa Road out of Delta.

Sounds like just too much fun so far. It also sounds like you may have hit that buck in the horn. You will definately know for sure if you get back on him and take him down.

On my way back from Delta and Montrose monday I spotted 4 antelope on the north side of the highway just past the Delta county line (west of) and was thinking how it was going for you. I was going too fast and did not see if there was a buck in the group.

One more thing I failed to tell you earlier was the atv thing. Too many people out in that country chasing them on there atv for them to not be spooked. Sad but true ! You can drive right up on them in your truck.

Keep at it and hopefully next time you will post a pic of that goat. Good luck !

It has been quite the hunt so far and I have enjoyed it but the soles of my feet haven't. Monday I was out in the area North of the county line but I may of been a little bit too close to the hills and there is quite a bit of private in the area that you would find them. The group that we got into Sunday and the one that I got the shot at was on the South side of the highway just East of the Dominguez Canyon road and I was camped up close to the rim in the cedars. We spotted him and his ladies when we got to the corrals about a mile east of that road on the North side.

As far as the other hunter I doubt that he got one yet. As I said he was just driving around and we first spotted him while we were up high and glassing the area. But then he could of always ran into one later in the day.

Hey Critter that is cool you got a antelope tag for down in this area, I hope you end up getting one! I dont know if I can help much but when I was hunting during the archery elk season I always seen a nice antelope buck when I would be driving back home from the bow hunt. I had been seeing him alot by those radio towers just past whitewater right of the highway. I looked on my map and their is some blm over that way. I dont know if that is something you want to check out or not. And I have also seen alot of antelope were I think you are already hunting, but they are those steep desert hills dropping of towards delta, close to the palmer gulch road, road 6.50 I believe but on the opposite side of the highway. Grand mesa side! I dont know if you can hunt the desert out by the walker airport but I have seen many antelope out that way too. I hope you are successful on your hunt, be sure to show us some pics of your trophy

One of the most important pieces of equipment that you will take hunting is a good quality pair of optics and they take some care to give you the performance that you want. So here are a few tips.
Use some alcohol and cheese cloth to clean the lenses. I will usually pick up an extra cleaning kit from my optician when I have my eyes examined.
Don't touch the lens with your fingers. If there is a stick or a bug on them blow it off.
Use the lens covers. They are there...